The present invention relates to an electrohydraulic control system for controlling the position of a movable member, and more particularly, to an electrohydraulic control system for positioning a canard of a missile for controlling the flight path of the missile as determined by an on-board missile guidance computer.
Control canards for missiles are usually made of solid metal and are attached to an actuator through bearings located in the airframe. The canard must withstand heavy aerodynamic loading which requires large and bulky components. These components rotate as determined by control signals generated by the missile guidance computer. The actuator mechanism for the canards is also large and bulky and often has a slow dynamic response due to the inertia of the system. Therefore it is desirable to provide a missile control system with improved dynamic response.
Heretofore, the major components of a typical canard system were buried deep within the missile interior due to the bulk of the members. With the canard control system components being disposed deep within the missile interior, maintenance of the system in the event of malfunction presented a substantial difficulty since the components were very difficult to service. As a result, when a control problem became apparent, it was usually more economical to replace the entire missile.